MetLife Stadium was buzzing with anticipation on night one of the two-night takeover by Korn and System of a Down, a pairing that felt both nostalgic and timely. Thousands of fans filled the giant football stadium, ready to embrace two of the most influential forces in heavy music.
Korn took the stage first, their signature low-end rumble instantly recognizable as the opening notes of “Blind” echoed across the stadium. Jonathan Davis commanded attention from the jump, pacing the stage with his signature intensity, dreadlocks whipping as he unleashed those primal vocals that have defined a generation of heavy music. The band’s trademark downtuned guitars from James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch created a wall of sound, thick and unrelenting, while Ra Diaz’s bass lines rattled through the floor and drummer Ray Luzier drove every beat with surgical force.
The setlist was a career-spanning assault, moving from early classics like “Shoots and Ladders” and “Freak on a Leash” to newer cuts that proved Korn has never lost its edge. Davis brought out the bagpipes for “Shoots and Ladders,” a reminder of the theatrical touches that always made Korn stand out from their peers. The crowd erupted in unison during “Freak on a Leash,” voices shouting the infamous scat-vocals section as if it was etched into muscle memory. The stadium became a living, breathing mosh pit during “Got the Life,” while tracks like “Rotting in Vain” showed the band’s darker, more atmospheric side. Korn’s performance was as tight as it was ferocious, and it was clear from the sea of fists in the air that their connection with fans remains as powerful as it was in the late ‘90s.
When System of a Down took over, the tone shifted from groove-driven intensity to manic unpredictability. The Armenian-American juggernaut wasted no time, ripping into “Prison Song” with its rapid-fire lyrics and jarring shifts in tempo. Serj Tankian’s vocals soared one moment and turned guttural the next, his versatility matched only by guitarist Daron Malakian’s snarling counterpoint vocals. Shavo Odadjian stalked the stage with his bass swinging low, his movements as kinetic as the music, while drummer John Dolmayan hammered the kit with a precision that anchored the band’s chaos.
The setlist was stacked with fan favorites, each met with deafening approval. “Toxicity” became an anthem, sung so loudly by the crowd that at times Tankian simply stepped back and let the audience carry it. “B.Y.O.B.” triggered an eruption of bodies jumping in unison, its satirical lyrics cutting as sharply today as when it was first released. “Chop Suey!” was the undeniable peak of catharsis, with tens of thousands screaming, “Wake up!” in unison, the kind of moment that transcended live music and felt like cultural memory being relived in real time. System balanced the chaos with haunting performances of “Aerials” and “Lonely Day,” offering brief moments of melodic reflection before plunging back into the firestorm of “Sugar,” which closed their set in absolute frenzy.
What stood out most was the contrast between the two bands and how perfectly they complemented each other. Korn brought a visceral heaviness rooted in groove and catharsis, the kind of sound that made nu-metal a phenomenon. System of a Down offered a more volatile cocktail, blending politics, absurdity, and brutal riffs into songs that defy convention but remain endlessly singable. Together, they reminded everyone at MetLife that the late ‘90s and early 2000s were more than just an era of heavy music—they were a revolution, and these two bands remain its most vital voices.
SOAD
Korn
